Michener Park and West 240 Update
Lansdowne Community League Meeting
April 11, 2023
Michener Park & West 240 Update – April 11, 2023
Your Board recognizes that the Michener Park & West 240 developments are top of mind with all Lansdowne residents. While we strongly encourage our neighbours to personally attend all information sessions to garner as much firsthand information as possible and to voice their opinions directly and via online survey, we will endeavor to have a Board representative at each future meeting with our Community’s interests at heart and to bring key takeaways back for those who were unable to attend.
Your Lansdowne Community League Board hosted a special guest at our monthly Board Meeting on April 11th, 2023 - University of Alberta Properties Trust (UAPT) Manager of Development and Construction Keaton Seaby.
Keaton was more than happy to attend our meeting and reiterated how UAPT values strong engagement and dialogue with all stakeholders.
We were given permission to share Keaton's brief PowerPoint presentation with you (see link below) and are happy to recap some highlights of our discussion:
Michener Park
-grading of site is half complete
-expected to complete full site grading in mid to late June 2023
-underground servicing & road construction expected to commence in July 2023 with completion in fall 2023
-expected start to building spring 2024
-expected residence possession 2025/2026
-Slide 9 depicts the main access point into Michener Park off of 122nd Street, requiring a set of traffic lights. This will lead into Michener's "main street" of 48th Avenue
West 240
-two of four open houses complete and four design concepts narrowed to three design concepts
-third and *very important* open house being held May 4, 2023, 5:00-8:00 p.m., at the Savage Center
-the third open house will result in the three design concepts being narrowed down to
the final one design concept
-the fourth open house will be held in September to present the final design concept
-the Master Plan will follow fall 2023
-City of Edmonton processes will take minimum 18 months following this, with City open houses being held along the way
-earliest possible breaking ground in 2025
Exciting times ahead for our community!
Review the latest plan for Michener Park & West 240
The Next Open House is
May 4, 5-8 PM
West 240 Meeting Summary – March 22, 2023
Your Board recognizes that the West 240 development is top of mind with all Lansdowne residents. While we strongly encourage our neighbours to personally attend all information sessions to garner as much firsthand information as possible and to voice their opinions directly and via online survey, we will endeavor to have a Board representative at each future meeting with our Community’s interests at heart and to bring key takeaways back for those who were unable to attend.
The open house for the West 240 on March 2nd was an opportunity to provide comments and share vision and values with both the University of Alberta Property Trust (UAPT) as well as representatives from the firm (B&A Studios) who has been hired to do the design and planning work on the site.
The format allowed for feedback through written comments on vision boards that covered topics such as types of buildings, public spaces and amenities, innovation and mobility, as well as verbal feedback by engaging with one of the planners present.
Some of the messages that were shared with people in attendance were that the planners would be starting the design process very shortly after the consultation and that they have minimum density requirements to meet as set forth by the City of Edmonton. The style of design will likely be a focus on modern urbanism, which strives for laneway access to garages and includes a variety of building types; but they were eager to hear feedback from those present as to what was important in the plans.
Some people spoke about recreational opportunities such as walking trails while others wanted their concerns about needing more schools and community gathering spaces noted. The planners also sought feedback on people's opinions with regards to access between Lansdowne and Grandview and the West 240 (car vs pedestrian).
The project itself will be developed in phases; however, this is the time when the master plan for the whole site will be set out, so it is of utmost importance that our voices are heard now. If you didn't have a chance to attend on March 2nd, there will be another opportunity on March 22nd, so mark it in your calendars and come prepared with any ideas or concerns that you would like to share.